- Aug 31, 2011
- 9
- 0
- 18,520
Hey all, looking to get some advice on building a system a little outside of my comfort zone.
I've always been a PC gamer, and every 4-5 years I build a new system for myself, typically in a full tower, SLI, aftermarket cooling, overclocking etc. (Currently running a i5-2500k @ 4.5GhZ on a Noctua NH-D14 with 2xGTX570's etc.)
I'm lost when it comes to bang-for-buck on the low end though.
So when I decided to build a new PC for my family since the old (~10 years) one is on it's last legs, I didn't know where to begin.
See below:
Approximate Purchase Date: Within 1-2 weeks
Budget Range: Since I have the OSes (Windows 7 32 or 64 bit), Keyboard / Mouse, and monitor I'm aiming for less than $400, 300 or less without sacrificing longevity or quality would be great.
System Usage from Most to Least Important: E-mail, Facebook, Youtube/Skype, Microsoft Office, occasional flash browser games.
Are you buying a monitor: No
Do you need to buy OS: No
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: (e.g.: newegg.com, amazon.com
Location: Suburbs of NYC.
Parts Preferences: None, I'm out of my element here and totally open minded, Mini-ATX, CPU with IGP or super cheap independent video card, etc.
Overclocking: No
SLI or Crossfire: No
Your Monitor Resolution: 1440x900, aging TFTLCD, might consider upgrading them to a newer, brighter, 1080p display with more vivid colors at some point but not for this build.
Additional Comments: If reasonably affordable I'd like to get them a SSD, they don't really have much need for mass-storage and don't install large games or download movies etc so they could probably use that as the primary hard drive. Since I finally adopted a SSD as a boot drive the 'sensation' of speed is wonderful.
Also, while I know there are huge savings to be had in a DIY build at the "Enthusiast" level... are the savings still significant at the low end?
For example, am I smart to part out and build this PC myself or would I be better off buying a barebones pre-built and just installing the OS for equal cost?
Thanks very much for any/all suggestions or advice.
I've always been a PC gamer, and every 4-5 years I build a new system for myself, typically in a full tower, SLI, aftermarket cooling, overclocking etc. (Currently running a i5-2500k @ 4.5GhZ on a Noctua NH-D14 with 2xGTX570's etc.)
I'm lost when it comes to bang-for-buck on the low end though.
So when I decided to build a new PC for my family since the old (~10 years) one is on it's last legs, I didn't know where to begin.
See below:
Approximate Purchase Date: Within 1-2 weeks
Budget Range: Since I have the OSes (Windows 7 32 or 64 bit), Keyboard / Mouse, and monitor I'm aiming for less than $400, 300 or less without sacrificing longevity or quality would be great.
System Usage from Most to Least Important: E-mail, Facebook, Youtube/Skype, Microsoft Office, occasional flash browser games.
Are you buying a monitor: No
Do you need to buy OS: No
Preferred Website(s) for Parts: (e.g.: newegg.com, amazon.com
Location: Suburbs of NYC.
Parts Preferences: None, I'm out of my element here and totally open minded, Mini-ATX, CPU with IGP or super cheap independent video card, etc.
Overclocking: No
SLI or Crossfire: No
Your Monitor Resolution: 1440x900, aging TFTLCD, might consider upgrading them to a newer, brighter, 1080p display with more vivid colors at some point but not for this build.
Additional Comments: If reasonably affordable I'd like to get them a SSD, they don't really have much need for mass-storage and don't install large games or download movies etc so they could probably use that as the primary hard drive. Since I finally adopted a SSD as a boot drive the 'sensation' of speed is wonderful.
Also, while I know there are huge savings to be had in a DIY build at the "Enthusiast" level... are the savings still significant at the low end?
For example, am I smart to part out and build this PC myself or would I be better off buying a barebones pre-built and just installing the OS for equal cost?
Thanks very much for any/all suggestions or advice.
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